Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

I just found this forum, so hello everyone. If this has already been asked, I'm sorry. I scanned through the threads and didn't see it, so here goes.

I'm ADD (obviously - why else would I be here?) and I'm currently taking adderall. For the most part I don't mind it. I like it better than concerta, anyway. Here's the thing, though. When I'm on it (it happened on concerta too - I'm guessing that any similar drug will do this) I seem to develop a nervous habit/nervous tic/something. I constantly rub the tip of my tongue against the back of my bottom teeth. That might not sound so bad, except that I do it non-stop for hours. Even if I notice I'm doing it and stop myself I start right back up the instant I start paying attention to something else. After I do this long enough, my tongue starts to really hurt. I've even ended up with a cut that took forever to heal.

So basically I'm wandering if anyone else has experienced this kind of side effect, and if they've discovered a way to deal with it. Does gum help? I've noticed that smoking does not help. Has anyone gotten this side effect on adderall but not another medicine?

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Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

I noticed that I was biting my lips all the time, which I wasn't sure where it came from, but the doctor said it was a side effect of adderall. It went on for a few weeks. But since I lowered my dose, it's gone.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

I am so glad that I saw your post. I thought that I was kind of crazy because I do exactly the same thing as you. I constantly rub the tip of my tongue against the back of my lower teeth, but one tooth specifically. Constantly rubbing the back of the tooth up and down. I have done it so often that I have created cuts into the tip of the tongue and caused infections to take hold.

I was prescribed Adderall at 60 mg for approximately eight years. I think that this behavior is definitely a tic and it developed after about four to five years.

I am no longer taking Adderall (now on Provigil and starting Vyvanse) and the tic is very slowly diminishing after less than six months off Adderall. Hopefully, it will disappear someday.

The best thing about your post is now I now that I am not alone with this tic. I never brought it up with my doctor becuase I thought that he would think that I was "crazy" and/or stopping prescribing the Adderall.

I have Googled Adderall and amphetamine-related tics and never found anything relevant to my situation.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

Happens to me as well. I pick at my finger nails and any rough skin patches on my finger nails. Like you, I tell myself to stop then immediately once my mind is occupied by something else it starts up again. Very irritating. Unfortunately it hasn't really stopped over time.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

It causes "Tics" or Torette like symptoms. I move my nose a lot on it and I still do it off of it just not as much so I guess once the problem is there it doesn't go away. It's on the side effects on the paper the pharmacy gives you when you fill your script.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttjc

Do you have a chipped filling/tooth? Or perhaps a rough edge on one of your teeth?

I do have a rough edge on one of my bottom teeth. It is really bizarre because I rub the back of that tooth with the the tip of my tongue for the very fact that it is rough. I ignore the other smooth teeth.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

Quote:

Originally Posted by dalek

I do have a rough edge on one of my bottom teeth. It is really bizarre because I rub the back of that tooth with the the tip of my tongue for the very fact that it is rough. I ignore the other smooth teeth.

Chewing gum does help me stop the tic temporally.

The reason I asked that is because before I started taking meds, I had a tooth that had a rough edge and I would constantly find the need to do exactly what you are doing. After I went to the dentist for a cleaning a couple of months ago and he filed it down, I stopped!

I'm just learning about the tics that come with the meds now. It could be just a tic.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

i have noticed i do this sometimes. Shrugs. No big deal. i also catch myself chewing when im not eating anything. It isnt like it's a really noticeable movement, so i dont worry about anyone pointing it out. Compared to the possible side effects one can have, i prefer to have something as harmless as this.

Re: Help with a side effect - constantly rubbing the tongue on the back of the teeth

Yeah I also get random muscle tics. Like I'll twitch. Sometimes my arm will move, my chest muscle will twitch, etc. It's weird but I kind of have gotten used to it although it still annoys me at times.